This entry originally appeared on my disability blog, I hate stairs.
It’s a trick question really. Fact is, I don’t necessarily hate stairs. Being that I use a wheelchair to get around, stairs represent an obstacle which I must avoid or overcome. But I don’t necessarily hate obstacles either. When you overcome them, they make you a better person than you were before. “So what’s with this silly name then, Blake?” you might ask. As often is true, the answer lies in the question. It’s just a silly name. I’m sure we could extract some deep, significant meaning from it if we so desired, but it would have to be in the wee hours of the morning following an intense discussion of the meaning of life.
The more appropriate question would be “why did I start this blog?”
I began this memoir for two reasons. First, I did it for myself. Discussing disability issues has been an interest of mine since college, perhaps before. I enjoy sharing my closest of thoughts with my closest of friends. Though somewhat shy about discussing more personal issues with acquaintances, I found that many parents of children with neuromuscular diseases (and other disabilities) found in me and my brother something they did not always grasp from doctors.
Hope.
These parents found some small bit of comfort in their time of crisis knowing that their children could grow up, live life, and be happy. This, in part, forms the second reason for starting this blog. I believe there are people out there, whether they be parents of disabled children or the children themselves or adults with disabilities, who can relate to my experiences.
So I did it for myself. But I hope I can impart at least some small amount of knowledge and understanding to anyone who decides to join me. Even more, I hope to learn from their experiences as well.
Back to the future
“I hate stairs” (or maybe iHateStairs? ihatestairs?) is a place for me to share with you the part of my life affected by disabillity. As you can imagine, all types of issues, thoughts, an observations could fall into this category. Be prepared. They will be diverse. Some will preach opportunity. Some will vent frustrations. Some will be tangible. Some will be abstract thoughts. In anything I say, I mean no offense to anyone. Disabillity can be a touchy subject. But we can move past that and nurture discussion.
And one more thing I should probably mention: I hate stairs. :-)